Clothesline attachment



p 8, 1964 H. o. ZIMMERLI ETAL 3,147,865

CLOTHESLINE ATTACHMENT Filed May 11, 1962 k T INVENTORS HEP/MAN QZ/MMEBL/ A. Z/MMERL/ A BY my A TTOKNE Y United States Patent 3,147,865CLOTHESLINE ATTACHMENT Herman 0. Zimmerli and Lily A. Zimmerli, both ofBox 64, Swisher, Iowa Filed May 11, 1962, Ser. No. 194,042 3 Claims.(Cl. 211-86) The present invention pertains to an attachment forclotheslines and in particular to a removable attachment therefor forlocating a number of clothes hangers in spaced relation along the lineso that they will neither slide together nor slide along the line.

As every housewife knows, when clothes hangers, particularly the typehaving a simple hook-like suspension, are hung on a clothesline the sagthereby caused in the line usually causes all the hangers eventually toslide together toward the middle of the line. If the line is outof-doorsthe hangers may also be blown together up or down the line. Inasmuch asclothes are placed on hangers on a clothesline in order to dry or toair, bunching of them in any place along the line obviously impedesdrying or airing, as the case may be. Clothespins are sometimes used tolocate the hangers but these are rarely sufficient if the wind is at allstrong and besides are a nuisance time-wise as they must be individuallyapplied and rernoved before the line can be returned to ordinary use.Permanent attachments should also be avoided as they often hinder normaluse of the line and particularly interfere with its cleaning.

The present invention provides a simple, effective and easily appliedand removed attachment for maintaining clothes hangers in fixed, spacedpositions along a clothesline. The attachment is formed integrally bysimple bends in a single length of wire or by a simply shaped or mouldedslat to provide a series of spaced, fixed positions for the hangers,using the resiliency of the attachment itself and/ or the tension in theline to locate the attachment itself thereon. It is easily applied tothe line and can easily and quickly be removed so that the line may beused in the usual way and cleaned without interference.

Accordingly, the chief object of the present invention is the provisionof an attachment for securing clothes hangers against sliding movementupon a clothesline.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such an attachmentwhich is easily and quickly applied to and removed from a clothesline.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide such anattachment which is easily and cheaply manufactured.

Other and further objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be apparent from the preferred form thereof hereafterdescribed, read in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the preferred form of the presentinvention shown applied to an ordinary clothesline; and

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of FIGURE 1.

Turning first to FIGURE 1, represents a typical clothesline of wire,rope or plastic covered wire, or the like. The attachment, in theembodiment shown in FIG- URES 1 and 2, is formed from a single,essentially straight length of wire 11, which is preferably spring wire,having each of its ends turned to form depending eyes 12. Bent in wire11 at spaced intervals between eyes 12 are a series of depending,open-top loops 13 suitably shaped to provide, together with eyes 12, aseries of locating positions for clothes hangers 14. The faces of eyes12 and loops 13 are preferably in a common plane with and through theaxis of wire 11. Thus, when the attachment is applied to line 10 bybeing laid thereover and sinuously and laterally wound therealong, asillustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2, eyes 12 serve to anchor each end of theattachment, and their faces tend to press against line 10, owing to theresiliency of wire 11. Furthermore, the passage of line 10 from one sideto the other of each loop 13 across the open top thereof increasesfriction between the attachment and line 10. At the same time,especially if line 10 is rope or plastic, the resiliency of wire 11 willcause corresponding sinuous, lateral curvatures in line 10. Theattachment is accordingly secured to, and against sliding movementalong, line 10 by both the resiliency of wire 11 and the tension in line10.

If desired, loops 12 may be fashioned to be upstanding instead ofdepending, from line 10 in which case the clothes hangers are suspendeddirectly from line 10 on the portions 15 thereof, loops 13 then servingmerely to locate and not also to support the hangers. Removal of theattachment is quickly accomplished simply by unwinding it from line 10.

Wire 11 may, of course, be suitably plated or rubber or plastic coatedif desired to approve appearance and durability; plastic or rubbercoating would also tend to increase friction between line 10 and wire 11and thus aid in preventing slippage of the attachment along line 10.

The length of the attachment is not critical. It should be long enoughto provide 3 or 4 suitably spaced hanger positions, including eyes 12,and yet at the same time not be so long that it cannot be easily appliedor removed or conveniently stored when not in use.

Though the invention has been described in a particular fgrm, it is forillustration only and the appended claims are intended to include suchmodifications thereof as would ordinarily and naturally be incorporatedtherein.

We claim:

1. A removable attachment for a clothesline for restraining movementlongitudinally of said line of clothes hangers having a hook-like memberfor suspension thereof, said attachment comprising a single, generallyrectilinear length of resilient wire having a portion at each endthereof offset from the longitudinal axis thereof, a plurality of loopsfashioned in said wire at spaced intervals therealong between said endportions, each of said loops being offset from said axis of said wireeffective to receive said hook-like member of at least one clotheshanger therethrough and to substantially fix the location of said hangerlongitudinally of said axis of said wire, movement of both saidattachment and said hanger longitudinally of said line being restrainedwhen said attachment is applied over and around said line so that thelatter passes sinuously back and forth between opposite sides of saidend portions and said loops.

2. The attachment of claim 1 wherein each of said loops is formed by aplurality of bends in said wire transversely of said axis thereof,including a pair of spaced bends therein providing an opening in theboundary of each of 3 said loops effective to permit said line to passthrough said loops from one side thereof to the other when saidattachment is applied to said line as aforesaid with said line closingthe boundaries of said loops, the remaining portions of said wireconnecting said end portions and loops being generally coaxial.

3. The attachment of claim 2 wherein said end portions and loops liegenerally in a common plane through said axis of said wire.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSCornell Jan. 12, 1892 Heine July 7, 1936 Hara Aug. 4, 1942 Crosby Apr.5, 1949 Sutton July 29, 1952 Fitzkee Aug. 9, 1955 Rowitz Feb. 20, 1962

1. A REMOVABLE ATTACHMENT FOR A CLOTHESLINE FOR RESTRAINING MOVEMENTLONGITUDINALLY OF SAID LINE OF CLOTHES HANGERS HAVING A HOOK-LIKE MEMBERFOR SUSPENSION THEREOF, SAID ATTACHMENT COMPRISING A SINGLE, GENERALLYRECTILINEAR LENGTH OF RESILIENT WIRE HAVING A PORTION AT EACH ENDTHEREOF OFFSET FROM THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF LOOPSFASHIONED IN SAID WIRE AT SPACED INTERVALS THEREALONG BETWEEN SAID ENDPORTIONS, EACH OF SAID LOOPS BEING OFFSET FROM SAID AXIS OF SAID WIREEFFECTIVE TO RECEIVE SAID HOOK-LIKE MEMBER OF AT LEAST ONE CLOTHESHANGER THERETHROUGH AND TO SUBSTANTIALLY FIX THE LOCATION OF SAID HANGERLONGITUDINALLY OF SAID AXIS OF SAID WIRE, MOVEMENT OF BOTH SAIDATTACHMENT AND SAID HANGER LONGITUDINALLY OF